Light rail and trams

Enabling works begin on new Trafford Park Metrolink line

Work has now begun on the £350m Metrolink Trafford Park line, a planned route on Manchester’s light rail network which will offer new transport connections to the intu Trafford Centre.

The new six stop line, branching off from the existing Pomona stop of the network’s Eccles Line, will take a 3.4 mile route to key business and leisure destinations along Trafford Park including Old Trafford football stadium, the Imperial War Museum (IWM) North and EventCity.

“I am delighted to be witnessing the start of works on the new Metrolink extension,” Cllr Anstee said. “This is a key milestone and supports our plans for Trafford to boost business investment, increase employment opportunities and the local economy.

“Trafford is an economic powerhouse that welcomes businesses and excellent transport links are a vital part of attracting new investment.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Tony Lloyd, praised the continuing development of Metrolink, saying: “It’s great to see the first spades in the ground for yet another Metrolink line.

“Metrolink is one of Greater Manchester’s major success stories, helping to drive regeneration and boost local economies.”

Trafford Park – Europe’s largest industrial estate and home to over 33,000 jobs – is the largest major employment zone in Greater Manchester outside the city centre, with intu Trafford Centre a major regional employer.

Richard Paxton, general manager of intu Trafford Centre, anticipated that the new connection will play a “crucial role in the city-region’s ongoing growth and development”.

Enabling works for the Trafford Park line extension are now underway with officials anticipating that it will take approximately four years to construct.

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